- Excess chemical use causes a 64 per cent fruit yield loss by killing pollinators.
- it is recommended that farmers should replace their plant with new varieties after seven years.
Image: FILE
Growers of fresh produce lose up to 45 per cent of their products during post-harvest due to inadequate technology, information and poor transportation systems.
These were the findings of a session held during the Global G.A.P tour where it emerged that the Kenyan farmers undergo preventable loses due to underserved post-harvest activities.
“In mango farming, up to a 50 per cent loss averagely is realised during post harvesting. They use manual harvesting mechanisation by shaking trees while harvesting thereby destroying fruits quality,” said Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization Director of Crop Systems Dr Lusike Wasilwa.
Limited pre and post-harvest handling technologies, inappropriate storage facilities and limited mechanisation across the value chain were some of the challenges to agricultural development.
To improve production, farmers were told that improvement in technology and adoption of new fruit varieties were the key solutions to the hurdles.
“Old varieties are affected by climate change and are more susceptible to pest and diseases. This leads to a seed yield variability of 40 per cent,” Wasilwa said.
Kenya has over 400 crops to commercialise with only five per cent of the horticultural produce sold are exported.
To avoid lose of quality and quantity by climate change, it is recommended that farmers should replace their plant with new varieties after seven years.
The findings also revealed that the use of excessive farm chemicals to plants lead to a 64 per cent fruit yield loss as pollinators are made extinct.
The pollinators play a huge role in the profits of a fresh produce farmer as they increase the final fruit weight by six per cent directly increasing the fruit yield to 92 per cent.
-Edited by SKanyara